Cyrus R. Vance, Jr.

District Attorney, Manhattan District Attorney’s Office

Since becoming District Attorney of New York County in 2010, Cyrus R. Vance, Jr. has enhanced the District Attorney’s Office as a national leader in criminal justice by expanding its expertise on an array of 21st century crimes, and implementing intelligence-driven prosecutions. The Office has dismantled domestic and international cybercrime and identity theft operations, attained the first local terrorism convictions in New York State courts, recovered billions of dollars from international financial institutions for violating international sanctions, and successfully taken violent street gangs. Mr. Vance is the co-founder and co-chair of Prosecutors Against Gun Violence, an independent, non-partisan coalition of prosecutors from major jurisdictions across the country to find solutions to this national public health and safety crisis. District Attorney Vance has taken a leadership role in addressing the issue of race in the criminal j ustice system, including commissioning a study by the non-partisan Vera Institute of Justice to evaluate the office’s practices in charging, plea-bargaining, and bail. Using funds obtained through the sanctions cases, Mr. Vance has also made significant investments in a series of transformative criminal justice initiatives in New York City and nationally. These programs include equipping every NYPD officer and patrol car with handheld mobile devices and tablets, eliminating the national rape kit backlog, reducing the number of individuals with behavioral health issues in the criminal justice system, and enhancing security in housing developments throughout the city.